TO JOURNAL OR NOT TO JOURNAL THAT IS THE QUESTION

Written by Kay L. Schlagel


I’m sure that at one time or another every one of us has been told to journal. “What is so important about journaling?” you may ask. “I’ve already had to live with it going over and over in my head, why would I want to write it down?” You’ve answered your own question. A lot of us have found that keeping a journal is a way of stoppingrepparttar cycle of a memory or an “old tape” going round and round in your head giving itself more and more importance through pure repetition is by writing it down. Sometimes justrepparttar 138843 act of writing it down gives us a sense of relief of having documentedrepparttar 138844 “event” thus eliminatingrepparttar 138845 need to continuously relive it. It also is a way of looking at things from a bit more of an objective view. I have written things in a fit of misery that atrepparttar 138846 time seemed to me a very relevant and impending problem. I then went back torepparttar 138847 entry, not even a full 24 hours later to see that I had 1) over-reacted torepparttar 138848 situation. 2) The situation was not as charged with emotion as I had previously seen it. 3) I was over-reacting due to some old tape from my childhood playing itself back in my head in response to a stimulus triggered byrepparttar 138849 situation. Other wise I was freaking out over nothing. It was also a way of getting out of my system angry letters that I needed to write but would not be in my best interest to send, or couldn’t send if I wanted to. One ofrepparttar 138850 ways I was able to confront my primary abuser that had died when I was 12 was through my journal. Like with any illness it is a great way of spotting patterns of deterioration in your symptoms. When I was getting back an old memory that was coming back in bits and pieces, I found journaling helped me fill inrepparttar 138851 pieces much faster and more accurately than relying only on my memory. You can also track cycles of moods that correspond to hormonal cycles, anniversary dates, or trigger events that cause certain behaviors of self-destruction. Types of journals vary as much asrepparttar 138852 people that keep them. You decide what type of journal works best for you. Some use poetry, art, dream journals, daily journals, crises journals, or even journals forrepparttar 138853 rage and anger letters. For some these journals will remain personal and private mementos forrepparttar 138854 rest of their lives and they will leave instructions in their wills what is to be done with them upon their death. For others, they will eventually get to a point in their healing that they are ready to let go of these memories, anger, etc. and may use a ritual such as burning or shredding them in a way that allows them to let go ofrepparttar 138855 journals contents.

WHY YOU WANT WHAT YOU CAN'T HAVE

Written by Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.


“You can’t always get what you want . . .” The Rolling Stones will soon be singing this refrain at venues aroundrepparttar world, as they embark on a year-long concert tour in August.

This song, now decades old, addresses a universal truth. Here’srepparttar 138750 rest ofrepparttar 138751 refrain:

You can't always get what you want . . . But if you try sometimes You just might find You get what you need.

What is it that you really wanted and didn’t get? The affections of a person who was with someone else? That dream job? The last cinnamon-raisin bagel snapped up byrepparttar 138752 customer in front of you?

These scenarios range from trivial to potentially life-changing, but they all have one thing in common:

WHEN YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU WANT, YOU WANT IT EVEN MORE.

Here are three reasons why this is so:

1. Heightened attention: When something is hard to get (or forbidden) you immediately pay more attention to it. Notice that when you are on a restricted diet, you sometimes get too focused on what you “can’t” eat. This heightened attention -- which can escalate into obsession -- makesrepparttar 138753 forbidden food seem very important. Your inner brat takes advantage of this, and tries to convince you that you MUST have that chocolate or pizza.

2. Perceived scarcity: When something is scarce or in short supply, its perceived value increases. You want it more because you think other people also want it. If you’ve ever bid at auctions or on eBay, you knowrepparttar 138754 experience of that last-minute excitement as you watchrepparttar 138755 bids spiral upward. The more people who bid,repparttar 138756 more you’re willing to pay forrepparttar 138757 item. Your inner brat wants it at any price.

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